A Friendly Neighborhood
by nightmares06
Summary: (Part 1 of Brothers Adopted) Jacob Andris is traveling with his mother on a roadtrip, and is in the room on his own when there's a knock at the door...
1. Ice Cream

**A/N:** This is the first part of the **Brothers Adopted** series, if you want to read the rest of the story, they are found on my page.

 **Part 1: A Friendly Neighborhood  
** **Part 2: Family Ties  
Part 3: First Hunt  
** **Part 4: Garlic and Cold Spots**

* * *

The day was as beautiful as a day could get. The warm sun above, birds chirping in the trees.

Children gathering by the ice cream truck.

Celeste contented herself watching from a distance. Her glamor was perfect, and she could spy on all the children around the area like this with ease. The baby carriage in front of her sealed off the disguise, blending her in with the other moms that hovered around, watching their children run to get sweets from the ice cream man.

After ten years of waiting for that other child to resurface, Celeste had her eyes on a new target.

Her failure to catch both Winchester boys still stung at her. That day, more than any other day in her long life, stood out. The punishments alone left scars that no one would ever see.

But her master knew, and that's all that mattered. She couldn't fail again.

She grit her teeth, meandering so she had more distance from the mothers that cooed over her 'child,' a creation of air and light that appeared real enough to any untrained human eyes. She wanted to focus.

Her target was a little old for her normal tastes. Normally, she'd go for a younger kid. They were more adaptable. They had more opportunity to grow into the benefits the magic would give them. These humans thought it was a _curse,_ to end up so small, but if they realized the potential…

Of course, not everyone got abilities that were useful. Without seeing Sam for herself, she had no way of knowing what gift he'd been given. Children were so adaptable, but had they chosen wrong when they'd targeted the Winchesters? She had been _certain_ those brothers would be the ones, but they she'd failed to curse them both, and been chased out before seeing how Sam had made out.

Maybe today she would find out. See if her experiment had been successful, or if she needed to find new victims in yet another town.

The kid hovered at the back of the line. He was the tallest one there, and with a lean, strong build. She looked forward to seeing what became of him, though she doubted he'd appreciate the gift. His hoodie on during the warm day made him stand out. Easy to track and watch.

When at last he had his ice cream, she marked the motel room he vanished into. She wondered at her theory, that there were others of the little people in the walls. Perhaps today she could prove that theory, once he was given his gift.

A cruel smile crossed her face, and she strode deliberately across the parking lot. One elegant hand reached up to knock on the door.

He would be hers, just like Sam and so many others had before him.

* * *

 **A/N**

This is the official 'start' to Brothers Adopted, though we wrote it long after! You can see the origin of Jacob's curse, and Sam would be the first one to tell him that sometimes you shouldn't answer the door. It was originally done during the prompt-a-thon, and the word was 'ice cream,' with Celeste chosen for nightmares06 and Jacob chosen for PL1, a perfect combination.


	2. A Friendly Neighborhood

Jacob had been drawn outside to the tinny sound of the ice cream van, along with a gaggle of other youth ranging from his mid-teen age to a couple kids barely past the toddler stage, clutching their mothers' hands and pointing out what they wanted from the colorful menu splashed on the side of the van. His mom was out, so she couldn't even try to discourage him from indulging in something for himself.

They were on vacation; weren't they supposed to be treating themselves a little?

It was the first road trip he'd been able to take with family in a long time. His mother didn't like to drive long distances too often, and she had trouble getting the time off work to make a trip in the first place. That, coupled with the fact that Jacob was only 14 and thus not permitted to drive, meant that this trip took a lot more planning ahead than many road trips tended to.

Jacob made sure to wait towards the back of the group crowded around the van. The smiling ice cream vendor took orders from the younger kids, patiently waiting for them to make up their minds and taking their piles of change with a good-natured laugh. By the time the rest had been served, Jacob had been standing there with his hands in his gray hoodie pocket for nearly ten minutes.

"Oh, I didn't forget ya, kiddo, I might just have something left for you," the man greeted as Jacob finally approached him. "What'll ya have?"

Jacob smiled back, put at ease by the man's cheerful nature. He was willing to bet that attitude sold more ice cream than the bored looks of some vendors. "I'll just have an ice cream sandwich, dude," he replied, already digging into his jeans pocket for his money.

"That'll be two-fifty," the vendor replied, before turning to rummage in one of his freezers. Jacob found two crumpled ones in his pocket, and sorted out enough coins to make up the rest. These he placed in the man's hand just as he turned back with Jacob's purchase ready. "Thanks bud, enjoy it!"

"You bet," Jacob replied, stepping back from the curb so the van could pull away and find another neighborhood to entice.

Jacob unwrapped his prize on the way back to the motel room. The breeze carried the scents of the nearby fields mixed with the pungent odor of asphalt from the parking lot. The wide dome of the Kansas sky was already tinting in yellow and pink, signalling a coming sunset. Jacob's mom had headed out to get some food and supplies (all their planning and she'd forgotten her toothbrush).

He paused at the door of their room to glance back out over the parking lot. The motel wasn't very busy, with most of its parking stalls empty. A flickering _Vacancy!_ sign desperately called for more guests, right underneath the big moniker of the motel itself: _Trails West_.

After watching the sky a few minutes, Jacob wandered back into the room. He locked the door not out of paranoia, but out of respect for his mom's wishes; she didn't want someone to barge in at any point.

Facing the room, Jacob almost swore he saw a small shape darting under the dresser. He paused with his eyebrows raised, before shrugging and ambling into the room without concern. They were only there for the night, and the mice probably wouldn't do any harm. _Just don't let mom spot you, little guys,_ he warned them in his head.

He flopped onto his bed with the remainder of his ice cream and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV. He absently unclasped his necklace, a twine choker with a single green bead, to set it safely on the nightstand. After that, he settled in, already thinking with excitement of the day ahead of them.

Jacob was nearly done with his treat when a knock came at the door. He tilted his head and glanced at the clock, wondering if his mom was back already. Then, with a shrug, he stood to answer the door. The wrapper from the ice cream was tossed into the bin on the way, and he unlocked the door to open it and see who'd come knocking.

* * *

 **A/N**

That's all from this story... you can guess where it all ends, and the result is what we see happening in Family Ties right now! Sam and Jacob must stick together.

Anyone have any guesses who Jacob saw in his room there at the end? ;)


End file.
